1. Field of the Invention
This disclosure relates generally to methods and apparatuses for optimizing the performance of a storage system for storing digital data.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hard disc drives have conventionally been used to store digital data in enterprise systems. One of the reasons for this extensive use of hard disc drives is that hard disc drive storage has often been the lowest cost storage medium suitable for such applications. There are, however, several drawbacks associated with hard disc drives. First, hard disc drives are often relatively slow in terms of their read/write performance when compared to other types of available storage media (such as FLASH memory). Second, hard disc drives that are subject to regular use are prone to failure. Such failures can often be traced to movement of the mechanical members within the disc drives, such as the head and arm. In general operation, a disc drive will engage in periods of “seeking” where the head of the hard drive is physically moved back and forth across the platters of the disc drive to retrieve or write data. Such “seeking” can result in failure of the physical mechanisms within a hard disc drive.
In an effort to overcome some of the limitations associated with hard disc drives, other forms of non-volatile storage media, such as solid state storage media have been utilized. One form of non-volatile storage media that has been used is FLASH memory. In general, FLASH memory is a much faster storage medium in terms of its read and write times than hard disc storage. However, FLASH storage has drawbacks which have limited its widespread use.
A first drawback is performance. The least expensive form of FLASH memory, multi-level cell (MLC) FLASH memory, is subject to rapid degradation such that the operation of such devices is prone to error. A second drawback is cost. There is an alternate form of FLASH memory that is more robust and durable than MLC FLASH memory known as single-level cell (SLC) FLASH memory. Such SLC FLASH memory is, however, substantially more expensive than both hard disc memory and MLC FLASH memory. As such, the cost issues associated with SLC FLASH memory have limited its widespread adoption in many enterprise applications.
Accordingly, what is needed is a more effective, efficient and optimal way to store digital data and utilize storage components within a storage system that addresses both cost and performance concerns.